Velvet Morning
by aoirei
Summary: As Riku loses himself inside Kingdom Hearts, Sora finally finds a way to get him out... (summary sucks) The pairing is SoraxRiku, so don't read if you don't like?
1. Prologue: This Place

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**Prologue**

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Darkness—one would never really know the true meaning of that word unless one had been here... Lived here... Water as black as a night with no stars. The floor sunk with each step taken and was darker than the water. Those were the only differences. Water was liquid and a slightly lighter shade than the ground, which was solid. The air... So, thick... You'd imagine it was a hot, humid, summer day... But, no... This was a winter's night... A winter's night where a blizzard decided to arrive and bring such coldness.

Freezing—everything was cold. The only chance for one to gather even the slightest amount of warmth was from curling in on one's self and wrapping one's arms around their body. The only protective blanket found inside this place. The floor... hard... This would be easier to handle than this cold. One couldn't stop shaking until one had been in this place for at least a year.

One's self. The mind no longer thought correctly. The numbing feeling of insanity slowly crept its way in through the cracks that have slowly been chipped into the corners of one's mind. The cracks... No bigger than a pin head... But, insanity had a way of managing its way through small spaces. If one wasn't strong, one would die from one's own two hands.

There were no weapons in a place like this. There weren't monsters... But there were... It was so hard to explain. This place brought out one's memories... The memories one locked away into the crevices of the memory... The crevices one never looked into. They came out to haunt one's pitiful self now... When one needed comfort the most, they came out—adding salt to the wound. Even though these monsters were horrible, there were still others. Others which could touch one's skin... Break it. Their claws would rip into one's skin and blood would run down one's body. One would feel the pain, but when one ran one's hands over the wound, it wasn't there. These monsters slowly clawed away at one's sanity.

Time—it doesn't exist in a place like this. One doesn't age, doesn't feel age occur. One's body is simply there. No time to tell the difference between then and now. One would think that there was no difference between then and now since there was no time to keep track of these things. But, one wouldn't mind. Time wasn't something that was needed in this place. If there was a way to keep track of time, one would only grow more insane. Knowing how long one had been in this place. Knowing that one would be in this place for the rest of their lives.

Knowing that one deserved to be in this place.

Nourishment—there was none. One wouldn't eat in this place. One could only hope that drinking the vile, dark waters would keep them alive... But, then again, why would one want to be alive in this place, this place where there was no real food to feed one's belly? But, after a while, the ache in one's stomach seems to wear out. Like the body could only handle so much pain, so it unconsciously negates it to lessen the hardships on one's body. The pain no longer exists after one has spent so much time in this place.

Only the numbness remains; the feeling of one's own body being lighter than air—no longer the tingly feeling one would feel when the circulation was cut off to a body part. No, that feeling was lost long ago. Now, it was just nothing. One could disappear into the air and no one would know. No one could know. There was no one to know. One was alone. Even if one remembers coming into this place with someone other than one's self, one is alone. It's strange though. The way this place works.

Insomnia—only to add to the time to one's timeless boredom, one cannot sleep. One cannot eliminate some of the hours in one's "day" so that it isn't as long as before. No. One must live out throughout this day--the entire day. The feeling of death slowly creeping upon one's self. No longer is there the hope of there being a nice death. No longer the hope of dying as an old man in his bed, sleeping. Now, only the hope for the insanity that almost devoured one's self to take away everything. No more thought. No more insomnia. No more coldness.

Even though one was in this place by one's self, there was so much noise. The monsters that scratched didn't make noise, no. One's own mind did. Like one's self turning against one's self. So confusing, yet not. One's mind speaking to you. Random voices from random moments. Even though these voices were retrieved from somewhere in one's memory, one didn't remember nor could make sense of these voices. Like a rambling of some foreign language. Being in a country one doesn't know of, but having lived in it for one's entire life. Like one's own parents could be speaking to one's self but one wouldn't be able to decipher what they were trying to say. The constant low-pitched drone that was the background music for the song of voices of a different language. The droning noise that became a theme song in one's mind.

In a place like this, one could only wish for one thing. Not, the feeling of nourishment or sleep. Nor the wishing of ending the numbness. Not hoping that one day one would open one's eye after blinking and everything would be light instead of dark. Not for the warmth that one's body needed so greatly. Death wouldn't be what one wanted in this place. One knew death would not solve anything in a place like this and those voices and droning sounds would probably follow you into the depths of hell—or was one already in hell? No, one would only wish for one thing in a place like this.

Silence.

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	2. Chapter One: Merlin

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**Chapter One**

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Sora made his way up the mountain, Donald and Goofy trailing behind him. They were huddled close, the coldness causing them to cling onto each other's warmth like a blanket. Sora was ignoring it. The coldness did register to his mind and body, but he had more important matters to tend to. He would admit: Merlin wasn't exactly the Einstein of choosing locations. No. Not to be mean to the wizard, but his location picking sucked.

If Sora thought correctly, Arthur had once told him that Merlin had lived--before his home in Traverse Town--in a forest which was fool of wolves. For one who came searching for it, it was impossible to find. Only one who was lost to begin with would find his humble abode.

So, Sora guessed that if he was lost for a long enough time, he would find Merlin's new home on this wannabe Mount Everest. He hadn't seen any signs of civilization since they ran off the trail a few hours ago. They had been following that cursed trail for about three days, trying to find his home. When he realized that following this trail really wasn't getting them anywhere, he thought back to what Arthur had told him and decided to take a chance and get lost.

He was starting to regret ever refusing that old woman's offer. She had offered to give them a map that would give them clear and perfect directions to Merlin's new home. He had refused since the Gummi ship needed some repairs and new devices and the map cost 20,000 worth of munny.

"Sora! When are we going to get to this stupid wizard's house!" Donald's squawk of a voice was almost unintelligible--more than usual--through the roaring wing that whipped around them.

"I don't know, Donald! But, we should be getting there soon, ne! We've been going at it for hours now! It's bound to turn up any second now!" Sora brought his arms over his face to shield his eyes from the onslaught of ice crystals and cold air. It didn't help much, but it did help. His eyes remained squinted and he only moved his head to make sure it wasn't frozen into position.

"But, uh, Sora what if we don't find it at all!" Goofy asked.

Sora decided he wasn't going to even bother answering that question. He really didn't want to say what he was thinking. He wanted to make sure that his teammates still had hope. They needed that hope to will them on in the search for this stupid wizard's cottage.

His foot collided with something jagged protruding from the snow and he fell forward. The cold snow wet his clothing which was the only layer between his skin and the harsh cold.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy shouted in unison, sped up, and grabbed one of Sora's arms each to heft him up from the snow.

"Are you alight, Sora?" Goofy questioned worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, you guys. But, what the hell did I just trip over?" They all turned towards the place Sora's foot had tripped over. There was this odd material--definitely not something natural--sticking up from the snow. It was a bright red color and Sora now wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.

"What, uh, is it, Donald?" Goofy asked as Donald approached it.

"Well, how would I know you dimwit!" He poked it with his staff. The he poked again. All was silent except for the howling wind all around them (jeez, what an exception). Donald stood there for a few seconds longer before letting out a howl/squall and repeatedly hitting the red thing with his staff. Goofy rubbed the back of his head with one hand while Sora sweat dropped and held a hand up as if attempting to stop the temperamental duck.

"Uh... Need some help there, Donald?" Sora asked while grinning.

"No I do NOT need help, Sora!" Donald paused to answer but then began attacking the thing again.

Sora collapsed onto the snow and shook his head. "This hopeless."

"Don't say that, Sora. We've been through tougher times together. We've come too far to go down in a place like this!" Goofy grinned in his characteristic way of grinning--goof-like--and winked at Sora.

Sora managed a small smile but then the corner of his lips went back down to a frown. Goofy was right. They had come way too far to just give up and die in a place like this. The whole reason they were coming to see Merlin was because of the new lead he had sent message of. Sora had asked if Merlin could possibly send the lead through some sort of message but he said that they must come in person to receive this important piece of information.

Information on King Mickey's possible location. Information on how to get his best friend Riku back.

This was what Sora had been searching for three years now. The other side of the coin; his friend. For three years now, the image of Riku standing behind those white doors of Kingdom Hearts haunted him. Those eyes which he had looked into with so much respect as a child. The eyes that reflected their home on Destiny Islands. Not blue, not green. His eyes were the exact color as the clearest water in the ocean.

That's all Sora could think about. The way those eyes had looked at him in so much pain. So much distrust... So much hatred. Those eyes were everything. He remembered when he fought Riku on the islands, their childish games of battle. Riku would always come out dominant in those games. Always better than Sora. One would imagine that Sora would begin to hate Riku but, no. Their friendship only became stronger.

Sora needed to see those eyes again. He needed Riku.

Those eyes haunted him. The way they had shown confusion. Confusion Sora hadn't noticed back in Traverse Town or in Monstro. Eyes that asked him why he wouldn't join him. Asking him why he was being replaced. Asking him if he even cared anymore. Sora had been too young. He hadn't understood. All he had known was that Riku was on the wrong side and that he needed to find Kairi.

Kairi.

Sora couldn't say he hated Kairi. No, Kairi would always be his friend. She hadn't intentionally separated Sora and Riku. Though, it was a coincidence that her name itself meant "separation." But Kairi was everything she seemed to be. She was kind, friendly, funny, silly, cute, and everything else that was expected of her. She was almost perfect. But, not Sora's perfect. She was a dear friend to him, but he would never feel right laying in bed with her. He would never be comfortable. Never feel like he was doing the right thing.

Kairi just wasn't the person he wanted to wake up next to in the morning and hug. Lightly kiss while they slept. No, he didn't want Kairi for something like that.

But, that was off subject. Sora had to find Riku. That was his top priority until he finally did find him. He wouldn't give up until he would be able to hug his best friend and tell him that he was sorry for not being there when he was needed the most.

Sora needed to find Riku.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the shifting of the snow below him. There was a deep rumbling noise and he could hear something like snow falling in some sort of hollow cave below them. "W-wha!"

He had only a second to react. His eyes widened. The second was lost and he soon found himself falling into a dark pit of seemingly nothing all the while hearing Goofy and Donald screaming around him.

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	3. Chapter Two: Sora

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**Chapter Two**

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A cold wind blew in the darkness, moving around the odd particles around on the ground. The noise of the scattering particles was a temporary distraction from the everlasting hum that dwelled inside his mind. The noise that kept him tossing and turning at times of rest. "Rest" would be the correct term of usage since there was no "sleep" here. His back straightened slightly and he tried to catch as much of the breeze as possible before the blessing deserted him again.

The cold wind blew through his limp hair and ruffled what was left of his clothing. The wind seemed to heal everything that had been happening since he had woken up in this place. The wind wrapped around him like a blanket of momentary comfort. His mind was silent for a moment, only the sound of whatever was being moved by this wind disturbing the silence. It was good enough though, since there weren't many times when winds just appeared from nowhere.

The wind made him wonder about things... Dream, one could say. Where would this wind be coming from? Maybe there was some sort of opening--a crevice, door, or crack--that would lead him to his freedom. Where then his memories would all return to him and everything would be like it used to and even if what it used to be wasn't the best, it'd be better than this. He dreamt of how light would feel against his skin or how the heaviness of the air would be lifted and everything would be feathery and light.

There would be an ocean... and an island... little boats...

He shook his head softly and chuckled under his breath. He needed to remind himself that those were only dreams he had had while being awake. They weren't real and shouldn't be hoped for. He was afraid that if he never got out of this place, that he might lose his dreams, too. Nothing was worth the loss of them...

He ran his hand over the material on his thigh and managed to gain a sense of comfort from doing so. The rubbery material added to the friction already created by the rubbing, and his fingertips would stick slightly from the rubber but then skid once or twice before continuing their trail along his thigh. The tips of his gloves had been long ago bitten off by his own teeth in a desperate attempt to feel the terrain around him. One needed to use their other four senses when their one of them was useless.

His other hand went up slowly to grab at an oily strand of hair between his index finger and thumb, moving them together--against each other. The hair smelled bad, it had smelled like that ever since he could last remember. But, even though the smell would easily nauseate any other being, it provided him with a sense of familiarity. He no longer remembered what color those oily strands of hair were; it really didn't matter to him anyway. It was something he could turn to when all else left him. When everything seemed to be hopeless, and there couldn't possibly be a way for him to ever get out, he could rely on the scent to calm him down and snap him back to reality.

It was the only thing in this place that didn't smell like nothing.

The wind settled finally and he slouched against the solid structure which he had been leaning against before. There were many things he didn't remember... For instance, if someone would have asked him of his name, he would have been at a loss for words since he wouldn't know how to respond. He didn't know the answer. Even though he couldn't remember many things, there were things he did remember. Mainly bad ones, but there was a good one.

The corners of his lips twitched in an attempt to lift into a smile, but their efforts proved to be fruitless since he no longer smiled. It was a waste of energy. But, the thoughts of that one memory were so overwhelming and warm, that it proved to be difficult to hold the smile down.

Blue eyes. Warm blue eyes... Like the sky... Eyes that were always full of laughter. A round, sun-kissed face holding those two beautiful eyes. A few brown strands of hair fell into those eyes and a smile was always on those lips. The boy would wave at him--he was no older than ten--call out soundless words, and then run in the opposite direction of where he was standing, holding a long stick over his shoulder with a string attached to the end.

Before he knew it, his legs were moving forward, following the other boy. His eyes never left the boy's hair as it bounced with every step he took. They bounced around, but never lost their place... The warmth was perfect, it covered him from head to toe and the sun brought certain brilliance to everything around him. There was water to his right; he could hear the sounds of the waves coming out as far as possible before retreating back into the sea.

The boy stopped and turned to him. Eyes, brighter than the sky, glistened in the sunlight and his smile became bigger than before, which he had not thought was possible. Then, before he could help it, his lips were moving on their own. Forming a word...

"Sora..." His voice was cracked, but it was there. If there was anything he had said since he had been here, it was that word... That name... It was all he knew of the outside world. The only intelligible word that he could get out of all of his dreams and nightmares. And since that was the only word he knew... It was what he called himself.

He liked to think that the oily strands of hair were a lovely shade of brown. His hair was only limp because of this place... If he only washed it, the hair would be rejuvenated and that healthy bounce would return. He pretended that his eyes, which were currently useless, were the most beautiful shade of blue imaginable for an eye-color. That looking into them led to the loss for words... The loss of intelligent thought... He liked to pretend that it was all like he dreamt it was.

But, somewhere deep inside him... A place he thought he didn't have...

He knew that it wasn't.

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Waiiii! I'm so happy that people reviewed ;; glomps onto reviewers I was so nervous ;; this being my first fic, and all. Thank you so much! I know this chapter is kinda short... Okay It is short. BUT, next chapter will be longer! I PROMISE! Anyway! Review


	4. Chapter Three: Running Forever?

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**Chapter Three**

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His feet ached. His heart pounded. But, he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't give up until he caught him! He had told him that he wouldn't be able to catch him... He had to prove him wrong! Riku couldn't win all the time anyway, right? Sora wanted to win at least once. But, it wasn't fair! Riku was a full year older than he was. Meaning, Riku would always have some sort of advantage against him! But, until the moment when he found a way to beat him, he would never give up.

He would never stop running!

Beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face and he grit his teeth so he would maintain speed. Riku was getting slower and slower. He must have been getting tired and guessed that Sora had given up long ago. Normally, that would be the case--Sora giving up before the chase was ended. Not this time, though. So, now Sora had Riku so that he wasn't expecting him. He had him right where he wanted him.

Using the last bit of his strength, he tried lifting his feet quicker and setting them down quietly in the sand.

Riku continued slowing down and Sora couldn't help but get excited. What would it be like to catch Riku? Would Riku get mad or would he just be surprised? He hoped Riku didn't get mad though... If he did though, he would manage to play it off somehow and get him to get happy again or something. He imagined Riku was a bad loser.

Riku stopped running and slowed it down to a fast walk/slow jog. Sora maintained his speed and readied himself to jump forward and tackle Riku down. Riku finally stopped and must have heard some sort of noise behind him because he turned his head to like towards his right, to the ocean. Sora thrust his body forward and closed his eyes tight while his arms reached forward to grab onto him.

Then, he hit the sand.

Sora clenched his fists onto the sand and lifted his face off of the sand. He squinted up at Riku who was grinning madly down at him. He had little beads of sweat dripping into his left eye so it was closed. He reached one gloved hand up to wipe at his forehead before he offered Sora his hand. Sora pouted before he accepted it and allowed Riku to lift him off the ground.

Riku was still cool and collected, smirking and the tired and pouty look on Sora's face. He reached forward and ruffled the younger boy's hair before looped an arm around his neck and giving him a noogie. Sora pushed away from him and held his protectively.

"Nice job! Just uh.. Don't miss next time?" He grinned and then snickered behind his hand.

"Oh, shut up! I almost caught you and you know it!" Sora pointed at him.

"Pleaaassee. You couldn't catch me even if I went slower!" Riku smirked at his own comment and pushed gently on Sora's shoulder. "Come on, Sora. Snap out of it! I was kidding! Geez, you take things so seriously."

"I do not!" Sora stomped and glared at Riku.

"Okay, then, you don't." Riku gave Sora the most serious expression he could manage at the time. Sora gave a blank expression in return. "Oh, yes." Riku's cheeks then puffed up before he let out the laugh he had been holding in.

"That was so lame." Sora shook his head before grinning at Riku's ongoing laughter. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry..." Sora looked up at the sky, seeing some doughnut-shaped clouds floating by.

"Sora, you're always hungry." Riku straightened himself and patted Sora's belly, snickering when the baby fat jiggled.

"I AM NOT!" Sora's mouth dropped open and he slapped Riku's hands away.

Riku chuckled and wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders and began walking down the beach. "Of course not..." He paused for a moment, looking at Sora from the corner of his eyes so he could see his facial expression. "...You just have some sort of monster in your stomach that eats all your food. That's gotta be the case since you're still thin even though you eat like a cow."

"...RIKU!"

A dull ache brought him back to consciousness. It felt like some sort of tribe was playing a ritual beat on drums inside his head. He could almost imagine their odd face-paintings and clothing... could almost see the giant fire in the center of the village with weird men in loin cloths dancing around it... could almost see...

"Donald, why is your ass in my face..." Sora blinked at the white feathers that were currently tickling his nose.

"Shut up, Sora! This is where I landed and I'm not moving!" Donald crossed his legs over each other and then did the same with his arms, staff in one hand. Goofy was sitting a few feet away with a puzzled look on his face.. Well, that wasn't anything new...

Sora picked Donald up off his face and set him down next to him on the ground before sitting up and looking around. They were in some sort of dark cave. He looked up and saw a mixture of sand, snow, and rocks. Now, they were caved in. Well, this sucked.

He stood up and dusted himself off while looking around. "Have you guys looked around or anything?"

"I did but, uh, Donald said he wasn't moving until you woke up. We're in a cave." Goofy nodded.

"I could have told him that even without looking around, Goofy!" Donald waved his staff at Goofy in an angry manner.

"Give him a break, Donald. I wouldn't even be able to tell you anything more than that without more light." Sora squinted in an attempt to seeing what was around them. Donald "Hmph"-ed and sat down with his arms crossed again. Sora pulled out Oblivion and began the ritual of summoning Tinker Bell. Tink was soon flying around, bringing instant light to the cave. "Oi, Tink, we need you to be our guide. It's too dark for us to see, so we need you." Tinker Bell nodded and gave him thumbs up before flying off.

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy and grinned. "Come on, you guys! We're gonna lose her!" He then turned and ran off in the direction in which Tink had flown in. He could hear Donald's whining squalls and Goofy's "Hee-yuk!"s behind him and see Tinker Bell's glow ahead.

They kept up a constant speed for about ten minutes before Sora couldn't hear Donald and Goofy behind him. "Tink! Come over here! We need to let Donald and Goofy catch up!" Tink's floating figure of light stopped before she flew to Sora. She began waving her arms around in an angered way and waved her finger at him. "No, we can't just leave them! I don't care if they're slowing us down. They're my friends and I would never abandon them." Tink crossed her arms and turned her head away, tapping her foot in midair. "Fine, stay here. I'll go find them on my own."

He turned away from her and sped off into the darkness to find his friends.

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I'm so happy ;; wahh so many people are reviewing Thank you! 33 points! See! This chapter is longer than the last one I kept my promise! Anou.. Review?


	5. Chapter Four: Freedom

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**Chapter Four**

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The air made it hard to walk. As if it weren't hard enough to walk around in the dark... His legs were weak, they needed rest. But, he willed them on. He had already rested for a little bit. He needed to walk around for a while now. This would increase, or decrease, his chances of getting out of this place. Still, it was so hard to get his legs to take steps forward.

Closing his eyes, he continued walking as best he could. More often than not, he did this--closed his eyes while walking. Really, there was no point in looking at the darkness. It would only remind him more of the fact that he was alone in this place. So, when he closed his eyes, some memories would always appear... He wasn't sure if they were only his imagination, but he felt them and saw them as if he had been there himself.

_He couldn't sleep. _

_  
Mommy and Daddy had told him to go to bed, school started tomorrow. But, he was so nervous... His best friend Sora was younger than he was... So, they wouldn't be in the same grade.. He didn't even start this year. What if he couldn't make any friends? Of course, there was that Wakka kid, but he didn't really know him all that well. Being someplace other than at home wouldn't feel right without Sora being there. _

_  
He stared up at his ceiling. Watching the fan spin around at medium speed. His window was always left open on winter nights. The islands did get cold, but never cold enough for snow to come. Leaving the windows open for the cold air to come inside would lower down the bill on the electricity. His parents weren't especially wealthy. Middle-class, one could say. _

_  
He watched the curtains blow around in the wind. Swishing this way and that. At least, he hoped it was the wind... Not a ghost or something... He brought his blanket up and over his mouth while his eyes darted around the room nervously. Now, that he thought about it, every shadow in his room did seem to resemble some sort of bogeyman or ghost.. _

_  
Sora was usually with him. Either he would be at Sora's house or Sora would be at his. But, Sora couldn't come over today since he had to go to bed early because of school. He never told anyone but Sora and Mommy but, he was always afraid of the dark. Afraid that some monster would come out from a corner, grab him and take him away forever. That's usually why Mommy let Sora stay so often. She guessed that having a friend over would make him less scared. _

_  
And he did make him a little braver. Sora was younger than he was, so he tried to be a little braver than he really was. But... there were times when he couldn't stand being alone.. Like, if Sora got up at night to get a class of water or go to the bathroom, he would curl up in bed, under the covers, with his eyes shut tight and pretend he never left. Pretend that Sora's body was still next to his.. that he didn't have to be afraid. _

_  
But, today just wasn't the case. So, he decided he would get up and ask Mommy and Daddy if he could sleep with them. He sat up with his blanket still wound around him and looked over at the door crack where a small amount of light came in through. He looked to the windows and corners and threw his legs over the side of the bed, holding his blanket. He took a deep breath, held onto his blanket tighter, before stepping off and running to the door as fast as his legs could take him. He made it and came into the hallway! _

_  
Just as the electricity went off... _

_  
His eyes widened in the dark and he whimpered quietly, holding his blanket to his chest protectively. The shadows now covered the floor and he was scared that some sort of monster was already crawling on the floor, making its way to him.. _

_  
Rubbing his cheek against the soft material of the blanket, he started taking small steps towards his Mommy's room. He could almost see the door to their room at the end of the hallway. Could almost see his mother's smile while she waited for him... He bit his bottom lip lightly and started walking faster. _

_  
That's when he heard it.. the noise downstairs. _

_  
His body stopped functioning. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move. He ducked down and hid his face in the softness of his blanket as the noises, albeit small noises, continued. He stiffened when he heard some sort of voice. He looked up from the material on his blanket. He could see three dark shadows moving around downstairs. Not in the form of monsters, though. In the form of humans... _

_  
When the figures walked into the downstairs guest room, he got up and ran into the closet into the closet in the hallway outside his parents' bedroom. He closed the door and slid down the wall until he was sitting. He could see into the hallway through the slots that made up the door and he scooted to the side so he could see the stairs. He was slightly trembling in fear.. which only increased when he heard the footsteps on the stairs. _

_  
He held his breath--or maybe he just couldn't breathe?--as he watch two of the figures walk past the closet and to his parents' bedroom. His mouth opened to tell them to stop, or anything, but then it closed again. He was too afraid to make a noise. Too afraid to warn his parents. _

_  
Too afraid to save them. _

_  
One of the men opened the door and the other stormed in with a gun held in front of him. The other man reached over and switched on the rooms' light. He saw his father sit up in bed and then stand up, his mother crawling over to his side of the bed and then standing up behind him. _

_  
"What are you doing in my house! Get out before I call the police!" His father's voice boomed. _

_  
"Shut up! You won't be calling anyone! We're the ones with the guns! We give the orders now!" The man holding the gun up shook it at pointed it at Daddy and Mommy. His mother cried out and hid her face in his father's shoulder while his father spread his arms, swallowing down his fear. "If you even think about doing anything, we'll go into the other room... You two being young, be can only imagine what's in that room. Not another guest room, ne?" He smirked and his mother's eyes widened. _

_  
"Riku!" She cried out in fear. His father grabbed her hand in comfort. _

_  
"Get out of my house..." His father wasn't talking anymore, he was growling. _

_  
And he stared. Could do nothing but watch. The rest of it was blurry... He could only see the man waving the gun around, then his father running towards him with his fists raised. Then, he just fell. His mother was the next to run up, but towards his father, then she fell too... _

_  
Then_... He fell.

He didn't know what was going on. He was in a closet one moment, now he was in water. He couldn't breathe. He was still so weak, it was hard to swim. He had fallen into some sort of dark lake in this place and now he didn't know which way to swim. Well, swimming upwards would be a good idea since he was running out of air. His legs swished around as hard as he could and he swished his arms around, struggling to make it to the surface.

When he made it to the surface, he took a deep breath before being pulled down again. His energy was quickly deserting him, as was the air in his lungs. His eyes were wide open, even though he couldn't see anything--it was too dark. But, he kept kicking his legs and hoping to make it to the surface.

Wait. Why did he want to make it the surface anyway? What was waiting for him up there when he made it back? Who would tell him that they were glad he was alive and that he made it out of the water? Who would ask him if he was okay? Who cared...?

He didn't.

His legs stopped kicking and he could imagine the little bubbles of air escaping his nose and mouth. He stared up for a moment longer before closing his eyes and.. smiling. He went limp, felt so relaxed. He hadn't felt like this in... Actually, he couldn't remember ever feeling like this.

Maybe this was what it was like to be happy. To be free.

The pain in his lungs reminded his body of the need to breathe, but he just didn't care. He didn't want to breathe in that same old "air," if that's what it could be called. He wanted to be on that island.. with that boy. He wanted to see him smile.. see him laugh... Go fishing with him.. or swimming. He just wanted to be with him... To be with Sora.

And as he sunk down, all he could think about were those bright, blue eyes which were on that sun kissed face that held that grin.

'Sora...'

. - . . - .

Gah, weird chapter, I know. But, again thank you for all your reviews I haven't gotten any flames, either! wags tail I'm so happy now. Well, until next chappie! ... Review?


	6. Chapter Five: Fulfill Your Destiny

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**Chapter Five**

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His legs were aching by the time he found them. They were both walking slowly, out of breath. They weren't even talking. Goofy saw him first and he smiled. "Hey, Sora! Glad you, uh, came back for us! Me and Donald here, uh, couldn't keep up with you and Tinker Bell!"

"I'm so glad you two are okay. I'm sorry that we left you behind... I didn't mean to... But, you guys know how anxious I've been feeling, knowing that Merlin could have some information on..."

"..Riku. Yes, Sora, we know how much you've been wanting to find him." Sora smiled at Donald, but Donald wasn't finished. "That's no excuse for leaving us behind!" He glared at Sora who was caught off guard and pointed his staff at the boy. "We're your friends, too, and you didn't seem to care that we got lost!" He waved the staff around while Sora looked down at the ground. "You know, I wonder if you'll just abandon us when you find Riku. Just like you did to him when Kairi came!" Sora's head snapped up and his eyes widened. "You're not a good friend at all! An abandoner is what you are!" With that he stormed off past Sora and into the darkness.

Goofy looked from Sora to the place Donald had disappeared to then to Sora again. He walked up to Sora and reached up to pat the boy's back. "He didn't mean it, Sora." Sora was looking at the ground again. His slightly longer spikes hung over his face, shadowing his expression. "He'll apologize later. You'll see." He patted him again and waited for a response.

He didn't get one.

---

Sora trailed behind Goofy who was walking behind Donald. Donald was the leader, for now, who was behind Tinker Bell. Sora didn't really feel like arguing about who got to lead today. His head was still bowed in shame as he thought about what Donald had told him. Well, yeah, Donald did tend to over-react to things, but did he really have to say all that he had said?

Sora wished that Goofy was right… what Donald said wasn't really true... But, he knew it was. He remembered how it used to be when they were younger. He and Riku would do everything together. They went so far as to sleeping at each others' houses every night. They were never apart. If Riku was going to go Christmas shopping, then Sora would go, too. No one was closer than the two boys. They were like left, and right; two sides of a coin.

Then, Kairi came. They were still little, but he remembered. She came from the sky... He thought she was an angel. And, she was so nice... and pretty... He developed a small crush on her immediately. After she came, he couldn't remember ever spending any time with Riku other than competing with him for Kairi. Always trying to be better than the other.

And Sora would always lose. Well, there would be the occasional win when Riku wasn't feeling good or something but, mostly, Sora just lost. It's funny how Sora and Riku would fight for Kairi and Riku would win yet, Kairi developed feelings for Sora instead of Riku. What was even funnier was how Sora didn't really want her... He wanted someone else.

The one person who told him things they had never told anything else. The one person who opened up to him completely.

"Hey, Sora! Look at this!" Sora looked up and saw Goofy pointing ahead. He squinted his eyes and tried to see what Goofy was pointing at, and his eyes widened. There was a giant, blue door with a giant, white snow flake painted on it blocking their path. He came closer, examining the door's surface and setting a hand on it. "What do you, uh, think it leads to, Sora?"

"I think it leads to Merlin's place." He traced the snowflake with his fingers for a moment longer before taking a few steps back and calling forth Oblivion. He held it out in front of him and yelled, "Freeze!" a shot of Blizzaga shot out from the tip of the Keyblade and hit the door.

The door glowed for a moment before the light died down and the snowflake was gone. Sora sheathed the Keyblade again and approached the door. The door lifted up and Sora walked through the entry, Donald, Goofy, and Tinker Bell following close behind.

---

On the other side of the door was an odd lake with an even odder fog over it. Everything was shrouded in mystery since one could see nothing because of the fog. About ten feet in front of them was an odd bride made of ice that went in farther into the lake, only a few inches above it. The edges ran off of the bridge, icicles hanging down and touching the water. Snow was falling, too, but it didn't seem to be effecting the bridge's appearance at all; the surface of the bridge was spotless.

Sora walked towards it and set a foot on it. It didn't break under the weight of his foot and he was the heaviest out of the group. "Okay, you guys. It doesn't seem to be breaking but I don't think it'll hold all of our weight. I would glide over it, but I have no idea how big this lake is and how long it would take to get to solid land. So, we'll do this:" He grabbed Donald and set him on the bridge. "You first, Donald! I've seen shows on television where ducks are on ice all the time!"

Donald slipped on the ice for a moment for before he regained his balance, "Hmph!"-ed, and began walking forward with his bill held up high. Sora snickered quietly before he told Tinker Bell to follow Donald.

After two minutes, Sora could hear the faint sound of Donald's voice coming in through the fog. "I'm over!"

Sora nodded and looked at Goofy. "You go next, Goofy; I'll follow-up the rear." Tinker Bell had already made the journey back to this side. Donald must have sent her back over to lead Goofy over to the other side.

Goofy set a wobbly foot onto the ice and then brought his other one on it. Tinker Bell flew a few feet ahead of him and waited as Goofy made his way over slowly. Baby step after baby step, Goofy disappeared into the fog.

Sora sighed and sat down. He brought his knees up and laid his forehead on them. He really hoped that what Merlin gave them wasn't some sort of wild goose chase. Three years was well over enough. They hadn't gotten any closer to finding King Mickey and Riku then they were after the caught Pluto and read the king's letter.

The letter hadn't said much, but it was enough to give them hope.

_Dear Sora,_

_I know that this whole Keyblade matter is new to you, and it doesn't seem very fair that it's up to you to save everyone, but it's your duty. I know that by the time you have found this, I am already locked inside of Kingdom Hearts. I have been studying Kingdom Hearts for the past year and it still puzzles me._

_It is made of light, yet darkness dwells within it? I am certain that somewhere in that darkness is the source of light which creates all worlds. In theory, I believe that if the darkness is locked inside of some sort of place, then we can unlock the light and the heartless will permanently disappear._

_This is all in theory, of course._

_I know that while I'm in Kingdom Hearts I will try and find that source of light. I do not know what will happen to me when I reach this "source" of light, but I hope that it will lead to the final destruction of the darkness._

_Well, tell Minnie that I miss her and love her. Take care of Pluto for me, Goofy. Tell Daisy, Hewie, Dewey, and Louie I said "Hi," and tell Chip and Dale to keep up the good work!_

_Wish me luck,_

_Mickey Mouse_

Tinker Bell's light brought his attention back to the present and he stood up, taking in a deep breath and regaining his composure.

"Did Goofy make it over all right?" He asked as they walked closer to the bridge. Tink flew around in a few circles making hand motions and moving her mouth, creating soundless words. "That's good."

He set his foot on the ice and was surprised when he found that it wasn't very slippery like ice usually was. It was actually very easy to walk on. And since Donald had slipped, now Sora knew how unbalanced Donald _really_ was. The corners of his lips turned upwards.

Tinker Bell began flying a few feet ahead of him, giving him the light he needed. It felt hard to breathe in the thick fog. The condensed water vapor thickened the air and it almost felt like he was breathing under water. Yet, not so wet.

Before he realized it, he and Tink had made it to the other side and were stepping down onto green grass. Ahead lay a forest—too many trees and thick vegetation.

"Glad you could join us, Sora. Maybe now you can help us figure out how to get to Merlin's house from here." Donald was looking at the forest, his arms crossed over his chest again, eyes narrowed in thought. Goofy had sat down on a nearby boulder and was watching him.

Sora approached the forest and looked into it. There was nothing but darkness and plants. He could hear the sounds of small animals and insects from within but that was it. He turned towards his teammates and grinned, trying to hide is hesitation.

"Well, there's only one thing we can do in a situation like this!" Sora turned again and held his arm out, the Keyblade materializing into his hand.

"And what is that, oh, Keyblade Master?" Donald rolled his eyes.

"I'm glad you asked, Donald the Magician! Now, we go through this!" He didn't wait long enough for protests and instead walked right into the dense forest, Keyblade slashing at the trees and brush around him.

"Wh-what! That's your plan!" Donald's eyes bulged out of his head as he chased the brunette, who was cackling, into the forest.

Goofy jumped off of the boulder and scrambled after his two friends. "Uh, wait up, you guys!" Tinker Bell stared for a moment longer with an annoyed look on her pretty features before crossing her arms and disappearing in a poof of glittery gold fairy dust.

. - . . - .

"We found it!"

Sora had no idea where he was going. But, when he saw the cottage through the vegetation, his face brightened and he started laughing. Even though he was tired, his happiness caused him to run through the brush until he reached the cottage's opening. Donald and Goofy came running close behind him, exhausted, but relieved.

He brought his hand up to knock, but the door opened before his knuckled could hit the surface, and found Merlin smiling down at the trio from behind the wooden door.

"I've been expecting you." Sora's smile widened. "Come, come! You three look exhausted! Come in for a cup of tea." The magician stood to the side, allowing the brunette and his friends come inside. Merlin led them to a small table and sat them down around it.

Little tea cups scooted themselves in front of the tree, followed by a sugar cup, spoon, and a teapot. The tea poured itself into the cups, followed the cup of sugar and the spoon which started adding spoonfuls of sugar to the cups.

"Tell them when you've had enough," Merlin instructed as he situated himself in his chair.

"When." Sora smiled at the cup and brought it to his lips.

"That's, uh, when. Thanks!" Goofy downed the cup of tea in seconds.

"No sugar." Donald watched the spoon add sugar to his cup. "I said no sugar!" The spoon continued adding. "_When_!" He shouted. The spoon and sugar cup scooted away.

"Archimedes, come out and greet our guests!" Merlin looked up at a coo-coo-clock on the wall and waited for the little door to open.

"I don't want to. Go away, Merlin!" Came a voice.

Merlin waved his hand at the clock and then brought his attention back to his guests. "Don't mind him, he got caught out in the storm last night and he's been grumpy all day."

"Um... Merlin, we're here for the information about Kingdom Hearts…" Sora set his cup of tea down and looked up at the magician.

"Ah, yes, let's get down to business." He nodded, understandingly. "Well, you need the Keyblade that Riku had. The one that opens doors, of course." Merlin nodded, and took a sip from his own tea.

A drop of sweat slid down the side of Sora's face. "Uh, Merlin, that's _it_?"

"Well, yes, unless you want me to go into details."

"We do," Donald confirmed.

"Well, the only way to get that Keyblade is to find it's origin."

"Uh... that's great, Merlin but, we don't know where the thing came from. All I remember is Ansem just having it when we fought him back at Hollow Bastion." Sora picked his cup back up and took another sip, his eyes never leaving Merlin's face.

Merlin felt the young man's eyes on him, yet, he didn't look back. He somehow knew that if he did he would grin like the Cheshire cat, and he didn't think Sora would appreciate that one bit. "I know this, Sora. But, Ansem didn't just pull it out of thin air, now did he?"

"Probably not," Sora sighed, setting his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his hands.

"This is hopeless… isn't it?" Sora's eyes lowered in disappointment and Goofy's head bowed. Donald's arms crossed over his chest and he shook his head sadly.

"Giving up already?"

Sora's head snapped up, remembering Riku's words: _"Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that." _

Merlin knew the effect of his words on Sora and had done it purposely. "There is a way, I assure you. You shouldn't give up this easily. If you do, then that just puts three years of search to waste."

"But… How?" Sora shook his head, looking down at the table's surface, trying to think of a way to find out what Merlin was precisely thinking.

"I can't tell you; you'll have to figure it out on your own." Merlin sat back, smiling at the three.

"Gah! I'm going to go wait outside; this is aggravating me!" Donald stood up and stomped his way out of the cottage.

Sora, in the meanwhile, rubbed his temple, trying to think of a possible way. "The dark Keyblade was made of…" His eyes narrowed in concentration before they widened in realization and his head snapped up, his eyes immediately meeting with Merlin's. "It was conceived from the hearts of the seven princesses of heart!"

Merlin grinned and clapped his hands. "Correct!" He watched, in amusement, as Sora stood and pumped his fist in the air. '_Still so childish…' _he thought, before clearing his throat. "I have already gathered the princesses. They are all at Hallow Bastion, waiting for you in the Chapel." Sora nodded. "Go there, and good luck."

Sora smiled at Merlin and nodded once more. "Thanks, we're going to need it…"

With that, Sora stood, took one last sip of his tea, and then strode out of the cottage followed by Goofy. Merlin watched with glittering eyes and a smile on his wrinkled face. Archimedes poked his head out of his clock and watched the two walk out and then looked at Merlin.

"What's wrong with you, are you stretching your mouth or something?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, just watching a man fulfill his destiny."

. - . . - .

Waahhh gomen for not having updated in so long ;; I've just been really busy with my school work and such x.o; just went through some troublesome times so yeah… don't expect the next chapter to come out quickly either ; Oh, and I tried adding a little more dialogue nod I know I'm not very good when it comes to it x.o;; So! Review please! wags tail … I'm hungry ;;


	7. Chapter Six: Walking

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**Chapter Six**

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_He ran across the beach, the sand crunching underneath his bare feet. He laughed, the sun shining in his hair. Ahead of him was a boy with brown hair. It felt like he had seen this before, though… Suddenly, he wasn't running anymore though, he was falling down and then everything went blank._

_Consciousness returned to him in an instant. His hair was wet, he would feel the strands cling to his skin like latex. Dripping sounds could be heard all around him and a light bulb hung above his head, swinging slightly from one side to another. _

_He realized two things, one: he was extremely tired and confused, two: he was tied to a chair. He had no idea how he had gotten here from where he had been. Hadn't he just been on the beach a second ago? What the _fuck_ was going on?_

_He struggled to free himself and he found out that there was also a layer of liquid covering the floor. When he moved, it made too much noise for his comfort. Whoever had done this was either playing a really stupid joke, or wasn't someone he wanted to get the attention of._

_For some reason, the light bulb above him started moving more than it had—it seemed like steps from the floor above had caused it to move around. The light shone in all directions and his eyes widened._

_From the ceiling, there hung dozens of giant meat hooks. There was some sort of hooking system built into the ceiling so all the hooks could move if pushed around. That wasn't what made his heart stop though. From those meat hooks hung the dead bodies of his loved ones… _

_Blood dripped off their toes and fingers and onto the ground, like they were being drained of all their blood. On the walls, there were bodies fitted so that they looked like some sort of twisted wallpaper. _

_Right next to him, though, on his right, there was someone who moved. His eyes darted over and he waited anxiously for the light to shine over in that direction. When it did, he wished it hadn't. Sora hung from one of the hooks, still alive. Streams of dried tears stained his cheeks and blood ran in trickles off his body._

_He felt tears slip down his cheeks and he began thrashing wildly. "No! This isn't real! This isn't happening! _Sora_!" He stopped thrashing, succumbing to the sobs which shook his body._

_Behind him, he heard sloshing footsteps come closer. He stopped crying, sniffling softly and waiting for whomever the _fuck _had done this to show their bloody face._

_They didn't and instead ran the blade of a knife over his wet cheek. The sharpened blade sliced the pale skin easily and he let out a hiss in pain, pulling his head away from the knife. A large hand grabbed his hair and pulled back so that his neck was exposed._

_Above him, he could see the golden eyes of a demon glow down at him. A wicked smirk crept onto the demon's face and he stopped breathing. The face neared his and a rough, cold tongue ran over his cut cheek. He closed his eyes tightly, willing all of this to go away, and let his breath come out in short huffs through his nose._

"_You're mine—remember that. I don't care if you betrayed me… I haven't had enough of you…" The deep voice echoed in the room, and he tried ignoring it. "You're like a drug, you know that? An addiction. Being inside of you wasn't enough. I want you to want it… to want me to be one with you."_

"_D-did you do th-this?" He asked, trying to pull himself together. He swallowed the accumulated saliva in his mouth and, since his head was pulled so far back, he felt his Adam's apple move._

"_Of course I did—they're you're gifts. Do you like them? I pick those which you would love to see dead the most."_

"No_! I didn't want this! You_ _fucking bastard, I'll kill you!" He thrashed again but stilled letting out another hiss when the demon tightened his grip._

"_Do shut up!" The golden eyes narrowed into angry slits, and the knife was brought against his neck. "Or I'll give you a better reason to call me a 'fucking bastard.'"_

_And with that, he swiped at his neck and the crimson blood spilled to join the water/blood-mixture on the floor.._

Water poured out of his mouth as he coughed it up out of his lungs. His eyes opened slowly and the darkness enveloped him again. The cold was back, and he trembled unconsciously.

He was _alive_.

He slowly got up onto his knees and then onto his feet. After he regained his balance, he started walking.

Why did he live? Maybe one couldn't die in this place. So, suicide really _wasn't _the answer. Until he found out what was the solution, he would have to keep walking…

Yeah.. keep on walking.

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End file.
